The Winding Down of Summer

where has summer gone? the air has that slight chill in the mornings...backpacks are ready to go to school...i'm trying to figure out where everyone needs to be when and how i'm going to fit in Cordelia's naps. this is our last week of summer. i have to say, i'm looking forward to schools starting, :) but let me take this moment to look back on our summer. i won't miss all the bickering and the sweltering humidity, but i have enjoyed being with all my girls all day long. our times at the pool were mostly good times. i was glad for their happy spirits as i blundered along, trying to adjust to taking care of the three of them. Cordelia is 5 months this week and these 5 months have been a blur with moments that stand out like exclamation points. i will remember this summer as the one where Claire learned to swim, the one where Skye emerged from a swim meet heat a proud winner, the one where all of my family came to visit, the one where i often looked at Cordelia's sleeping face wondering how i was going to survive yet another few days without Phil. there were moments when i was completely overwhelmed and my girls witnessed me at my worst, but i'm sure to forget those moments. will my girls forget too? i hope so.

i am looking forward to this year. the girls are growing so quickly and there will be many new experiences ahead. we will mark many milestones in each of their lives - please celebrate with us here!

Finding ways to connect

as my children get older, i'm finding that i need to think more about ways to connect with them. eversince Skye started kindergarten, i've been trying my best to come up with times we can spend together. she spends most of her days at school and i often wonder what is going through her mind during all those hours. so, Claire and i packed a lunch and decided to meet Skye for lunch at her school. Claire was excited to be going to the "big kids" school and it's always a treat for her to pack a lunch and eat it out. Skye was thrilled to see us waiting for her when she arrived at the lunch room.

many parents had warned me about lunch time - that it is absolute craziness. the kids only have 20 mins to scarf down their food. the noise level is just too much. etc. you get the picture. yes, it did seem sort of crazy as i watched all the kids around me barely chewing their food before swallowing, watching a girl eat just the chocolate cake from her hot lunch and nothing else. but the noise level wasn't as bad as i anticipated which was good. both Claire and Skye ate a decent meal and i got to enjoy a few minutes with Skye in her world, getting to know some of her friends who haven't come over to our house for a playdate. lunch recess was quite a different story, with Claire getting almost run over several times by the big kids.

but all in all, it was a good way to connect with Skye and i hope to do it a few more times before this next baby arrives.

Winter challenges

this is now our fourth winter in Wisconsin, and every winter, we are faced with new challenges. last winter, it got so cold, one of our pipes burst. this winter, the roads have turned into ice skating rinks. and since this is just the beginning of the cold, who knows what other challenges are ahead?

when i took Claire to preschool this morning, the roads were slick, but not too bad. i was just mad at the drivers who were driving as if in normal conditions. Skye comes home on the bus at 3pm, but by then, the sun was going down and it was getting really cold. the roads were frozen. when Skye's bus didn't show up by 3:20, i knew something was wrong. i called her school and found out her bus was stuck in the snow about 6 or 7 blocks from our house. i bundled Claire into the car and started driving. not only was the road slick, but by then, there were so many cars on the road, a few minutes drive turned into 15-20 mins. and the strangest sight was of course seeing the big yellow bus on top of a snow pile. i was just thankful the bus hadn't tipped over or anything like that!!

when we asked Skye if she had been scared, she merely said she and her friend wondered if they were going to be on TV. :)

thankfully, we are all home for the night, safe and warm. i hope the bus doesn't get stuck tomorrow!

Volunteering in Kindergarten

this past Friday, i went to Skye's classroom to volunteer for the first time since she started kindergarten. it was an amazing experience. to see 12 little individuals, complicated individuals, busy at work was really really neat. i got to meet some of Skye's friends who haven't come over to our house for a playdate yet. i got to participate in a portion of Skye's day.

eversince Skye starte kindergarten, i've been feeling the loss of her presence. she loves kindergarten and talks about school all the time. and while i've been happy about her growth, i've been feeling a growing distance between us. i mean, it's inevitable in many ways. as kids get older and get more independent, i will have to make more of an effort to find ways to connect. well, visiting Skye in her classroom was definitely a connecting point. she was SO happy i came and was so happy to have me there to be a part of what has become her life. i hope to continue volunteering and getting a glimpse of Skye's world.

Open house at Skye's school

last night, after dinner, we went to Skye's school for open house. we knew it was open house for the whole school (K-2), but i had no idea what craziness open house was until we got there. there were SO many excited, hyper kids, running around, dragging bewildered parents and siblings all over the school. once, they made an announcement: "there is a little girl, who looks about 2 years old, called Abby, looking for her parents. please come to the office if you are her parents."

it was great for Skye to be able to show us where she spends most of her day now. she was so excited to show us all the different rooms too - the music room, the art room, the specials room and the gym. as well as her classroom. it was encouraging for Phil and me to see her feeling so at home and so happy with school. she was never this excited about preschool, but with kindergarten, Skye seems to have a sense of ownership about the place which she never had at preschool.

seeing all the excitement, Phil is now convinced public schools are the way to go. it's so great to run into our neighbours and people we see at the pool. there's just a feeling of community which we really appreciate.

one of my neighbours and i had a lengthy discussion about schools a couple of weeks ago. she has a daughter that is in 2nd Grade who is reading at the level of 5th Grade. she was voicing concern about whether her daughter was going to learn anything in 2nd Grade, whether she was going to be encouraged to progress, or will she be required to remain at the level of her peers. that's a tough one. i think about that often too because Skye is reading and writing already. actually, since she started kindergarten, her reading and writing have improved drastically. so, at this point, i'm not too concerned. and if the teacher is good, surely she will encourage progress for all her students, no matter what level they are at. my neighbour seems to find public schools, esp in Madison, a little too bent on democratization - meaning, they want to equalize all the children, keep them all at the same level. we have no magnet schools, no schools to pool the "smart and advanced" kids.

but last night, seeing how excited all the kids were about their school, i had to say to myself, this must be good.

First week of school

so, the first week has gone by in a blur. i keep thinking, will i get used to this waking up so early in the morning business? every morning this week, i rolled out of bed feeling exhausted after wakeful nights with Claire. and while Claire napped during the day, i'd sit down to write and fall asleep. only today, did i have a good writing session during Claire's nap. so maybe i am getting used to the new early schedule. :)

Phil and i are just really grateful Skye and Claire have adjusted so well to the changes this week. Skye has been busy making new friends - she jumped off the bus today and gave me a piece of paper her friend from the bus had just given her. it was a list of the girl's phone number, street number, and a list of everyone in the girl's family. i was asked to please call the mother to set up a play date. and then, after a quick snack at home, Skye ran off to our neighbour's house to play with their daughter who rides the bus to school with Skye. i really couldn't ask for a better situation. Skye loves school, loves her teacher, and she has many friends down the street that she sees every day.

after several difficult mornings, Claire and i finally had a great morning today. Claire has been having a hard time playing by herself all of a sudden. but today, i finally found activities she enjoyed, that kept her attention for a long enough time to allow me to prep dinner and get things done around the house. we also enjoyed a nice walk around the block, with Claire pushing her duck in the stroller (no baby, just a rubber duck). frankly, i'm enjoying this one-on-one time with her. i can focus on her and get to know her better. today, she was trying so hard to talk and was just babbling, but it was so so sweet. i can't believe she already wants to go to school!

all in all, it's been a busy week of changes, but it's gone smoother than i hoped.

Kindergarten begins!

Phil woke all of us up this morning at 6 AM. we had put down a rather excited Skye last night, but this morning at 6 AM, she didn't seem too excited about going to school. i was afraid we would be running to catch the bus, but she managed to get dressed and down to breakfast. she seemed too nervous to eat much, so i didn't push it, but i did worry about how she would get through the day. she would have only 20 minutes to scarf down her lunch and she eats oh-so-very slowly.

the four of us got to the bus stop long before the bus arrived, along with 8 other kids and their families. we were all armed with cameras and excitement. when the bus arrived, Skye had a moment of hesitation. i had to hold back the tears as i watched her get on the bus and waved to her as the bus pulled away. then we all piled into our car and followed the bus to the school. we watched Skye get off the bus and walked her over to her teacher who was standing in the middle of a very crowded playground. i couldn't believe the number of people there! it was all very exciting, especially since Skye got off the bus at the school beaming. a friend had gotten on the bus and sat with her and they had chatted all the way to school. :) when we arrived at the school, a policeman greeted us with, "welcome to first day of school!" we obviously looked like first-timers.

after we watched Skye go into school, all the parents were like, now what? it was truly an odd feeling. Phil and some of the other dads were talking about how they never had parents take them to the bus stop, let alone meet them at the school. no, they all had house keys and had to let themselves into the house when they got home, so this was all new experiences for them.

and Claire, well, she will enjoy some one-on-one time with me, but she too seemed in a daze that Skye wasn't here. fortunately, i had signed up for a toddler story time at the library, so we went there and she had a great time. then she took a good long nap after all the excitement of the morning before Skye returned home from school.

the neighbourhood gang, all waiting for the bus








and here is Skye getting on the bus for the very first time! you can sort of hear Claire upset that she's not getting on the bus!


First day of Kindergarten from slkim on Vimeo.

Getting ready for Kindergarten

on thursday, we went to Skye's kindergarten open house. we got to see her new classroom, meet her new teacher, find her locker, and meet some of the kids who will be her new friends. it was very exciting! we will have alot to learn in the first few weeks. my head is sort of swimming with all the new rules and routines i'll have to remember. and i'll have to make an effort to stay involved by volunteering in the classroom. but i'm most happy that Skye seems very very comfortable in her new classroom and her teacher seems to have a temperament that will be compatible with Skye's temperament.

and Claire also seems very comfortable with Skye's new school! i could easily have left her there to play - she was wandering around as if she knew exactly where to go! but her favourite part of the open house? the bright yellow school bus that was parked outside for the kids to climb up and get used to for their first day of school. Claire refused to get off the bus - i almost carried her off screaming!

i'm not nervous about the first day of kindergarten - i think Skye and Claire will adjust just fine to all the new changes, but i do feel overwhelmed with just how fast our girls are growing up! and this is also the end of summer...this summer, as last summer, was full and fun and oh so busy. the pool closes this weekend and we're sad about that, but we sure put in A LOT of swimming this summer.

Shopping for school supplies

so i thought i'd be smart and buy Skye's school supplies early. plus, we'll be travelling abit in August and i'd rather get it over with. so the girls and i were at Target and i was glad the section with the school supplies wasn't too crowded. i thought, oh good, we'll breeze through this. clutching the list, we made our way SLOWLY down each aisle. there was too much to choose from. what kind of glue stick? what kind of notebook? what kind of tape? i mean, you can spend an entire day doing this if you wanted to!

Claire wanted to participate in everything and grabbed all kinds of things off the shelves. at one point, she had even managed to pull out those price sheets in the plastic sleeves on the shelves!! when Skye was trying on backpacks, Claire had to try them on too and refused to take one off. i gave up and let her follow me around the store carrying a backpack as big as herself on her back. i managed to put it back on the shelf when she got distracted by something else. and then in the middle of all this, she pees all over the floor. i'm looking for an employee and there's none to be found. fortunately, i was prepared for once, with clean clothes in my bag. i stripped off all of Claire's clothes, hoping she wouldn't run off naked down the store, mopped up the pee with the wet clothes, got Claire dressed again, all in a matter of minutes.

i'm really glad i have to do this just once a year. :)

More on Kindergarten readiness

last week, we went to Skye's kindergarten screening and orientation. to help Skye prepare for it, i told her a little bit about what would happen. i told her she would be in a classroom with the other children and Phil and i would go to another room for a meeting. i told her that she would be asked to do some things because the teachers want to see if she is ready for kindergarten. well, this seemed to freak her out. she told me she didn't want to go. i was hoping to prepare her, but instead, it made her really nervous! so we had a long chat, that the teachers were going to ask her to do what she already knew how to do, like write her name, draw a picture of herself, look at some pictures and talk about what was in the pictures. and if she didn't know the answer to some of the things they asked her to do, that was OK. well, that helped relieve the nervousness, but Skye was still reluctant to let us go when we arrived at the classroom. but after a few minutes, we left her engrossed in a book one of the teachers was reading to her.

the orientation was great. they gave us lots of information on what the first day would look like and took us through a day of kindergarten. they talked about placement and school buses. it was so much information, but very helpful.

when we got Skye, she wanted to stay! she kept saying she wished she was going to kindergarten! so that was good. i felt like she got really comfortable there, especially since they had a morning much as they would have on a regular school day. she seemed to have enjoyed the screening too, which the child psychologist did by pulling out one child at a time.

since the screening, i've talked with many other mums and gathered even more information about the public school system. having gone to school in Kenya, i have no idea what the system is like here, and boy, it really is this big system that i'm going to have to be vigilant about. one mum told me how her child was tagged for ESL - her child is Chinese by birth, but is above her grade level in reading and writing. the school told her her daughter would require 70 hours of testing. needless to say, this mother was furious. she managed to get out of it, but warned me that Skye would be tagged for ESL. this issue, along with some other placement questions i had, prompted me to call the headmistress at Franklin, the school Skye will attend in the fall. fortunately, the headmistress was very helpful. she did agree that Skye would be tagged, but we can decline ESL "services". it made me think about where Skye would be placed also because she said certain classrooms are designated for ESL students. another mother told me that there is a difference between ESL and ELL and that Skye is clearly a dual language student, NOT ESL nor ELL. No, i wouldn't want Skye in a classroom full of children who are learning to speak English for the first time that the teacher's energies would all go to those children, but at the same time, i don't think it would be terrible for Skye to be with other children who speak another language. i would like her to learn to appreciate speaking another language. i remember when i first went to school in Kenya, there was a girl i was placed next to and she was so helpful to me, especially those first few scary weeks when i couldn't understand a word anyone said.

it's been a busy few weeks - i'm getting a crash course on the public school system! on top of that, Skye's birthday is coming up and we're going to have a party. Skye wanted to invite 15 kids, and i foolishly agreed. and guess what? all 15 kids are coming! i've decided that next year, i'm going to limit Skye's guest list to 6. i've been busy planning and now, i'll be busy baking and getting things ready for the party! let's hope we have great weather because i'm not sure i could handle all those kids running around inside the house!

Kindergarten registration

today was the big day. i picked Skye up from preschool and we headed over to what will be her new school next year. it was stressful - there were forms and forms to fill out and Skye and Claire were with me, but we managed to get through it. we have orientation and open house to attend next month which will be more fun, i think.

Our poet

lately, Skye has gotten really interested in words that rhyme. throughout the day, if a word catches her fancy, for example, bike, then throughout the day, she'll ask, does mike rhyme with bike? does tike rhyme with bike? does jike rhyme with bike? and on and on.

yesterday, when i picked her up from preschool, her teacher said to me, Skye has been busy writing poems today! and Skye proudly showed me her first haiku-esque poem. here is a poem she wrote today. she has taken it to school to read to her class:

Four little snowflakes were having some fun
One little snowflake disappeared
Now two little snowflakes were having a race
Then one fell down
Now there is one little snowflake playing in the snow.

Kindergarten readiness

hard to believe, but that time is upon us already. these days, i feel like that's all i hear/talk about when i meet other mums. 3 March is the big day when i have to go and register Skye at the public school she will attend in the fall. my baby is going to be in school ALL day! that will be a huge change for all of us.

i'm also constantly getting questions from other mums about my plans for Skye for the summer. i always feel like i'm lagging behind. no, i haven't signed Skye up for any camps, no, i haven't decided yet if/where i'm sending her to for summer school. will it really make a difference in the long run? i was thinking i'll join a pool like last summer because the girls love to swim and if Skye really wants to keep going to school, perhaps a couple of afternoons a week would do. and then i thought we'd do some gardening. isn't that good enough? must i sign her up for some special outdoor camp? music camp? etc, etc.

what i do worry about is Skye getting bored in kindergarten. she writes really well now and has even started reading abit. and all of this, not because i've told her to do it, but she is genuinely interested in them herself. she loves to write letters to friends, and ever since she saw my manuscript, has been making her own books to read to us. :) i guess i'll worry about the boredom if it ever comes, but hopefully she'll be in a class with other kids who'll challenge her.

School

Madison has all day kindergarten. it was a bit of a surprise to me when i found that out. Skye, who only goes to preschool 3 afternoons for just 2 and a half hours will suddenly have to get used to going to school at 7:30 in the morning (that's when she wakes up!) and staying there all day until 3. it seems like a huge shift. other parents and i have often talked about the big change and most mums seem to think holding kids back a year is good. but then there's all this talk of kindergarten for 4 year olds. here a local article about that. kids are being expected to know so much more at an earlier age. what happened to being kids and playing around outside and getting dirty? is that something of the past now?